Each season there tends to be a fanservice anime or two out there that clearly drifts into the softcore porn territory by showing bare breasts and other exceedingly sexualized content. This season’s Interspecies Reviewers went a step beyond most–so much so that it was canceled on several local networks in Japan and dropped from Funimation’s streaming list in the US for falling outside of the company’s standards.
However, what’s surprising about Interspecies Reviewers is that the fanservice, as extreme as it is, is vital to both the world and the plot. Without the fanservice, the show literally could not exist. This anime is a thought experiment gone wild, birthed from a single perverted question: what would it be like to have sex with races from myth and fantasy?
Image source: ＴＶアニメ「異種族レビュアーズ」公式 on Twitter
Interspecies Reviewers is set in a world where Humans, Elves, Fairies, Halflings, Beastmen, Monsters, Spirits, and Demons all exist in about equal numbers. (Only Angels are rare as they live in the heavenly realm instead of earth.) This melting pot has created a society of tolerance where cross-species relationships are nothing out of the ordinary.
One day, two adventuring companions find themselves arguing about each other’s preferences in women. The human, Stunk, prefers mature elves for their eternal beauty and practical experience. The elf, Zel, prefers elderly human women for their mana quality and young (compared to him) age. Unable to agree, the pair poll their off-and-on-again companions–a dog man and a halfling–for their opinions.
Image source: ＴＶアニメ「異種族レビュアーズ」公式 on Twitter
Thinking other adventurers might find their opinions interesting (and pay to get copies of their own), they post their review on the adventurers’ message board at the local tavern. And with this, the Interspecies Reviewers are born.
Soon the pair are joined by an angel–who can’t return to heaven due to a cracked halo–and begin hitting up the various brothels around the city. With each visit, we learn not only about the biology of the prostitutes they visit but the mindsets of our heroes–what turns them on or off and why.
Image source: ＴＶアニメ「異種族レビュアーズ」公式 on Twitter
We also learn a lot about how the cultures of the various species affect how they make love and what they find erotic. Will-o-whisps like to have sex in wide-open public rooms to best show off their light. Cyclops women are found attractive based on the size of their eyes and not any other body part. This exploration of this world and its cultures get so deep that our heroes eventually end up at an egg-laying show–which is visited almost exclusively by reptile and fishmen who are somewhere between titillated and extremely hungry.
Of course, much of this is played for comedic effect as we see our heroes react–both positively and negatively–to their experiences in the various brothels they visit.
Image source: ＴＶアニメ「異種族レビュアーズ」公式 on Twitter
The result is an anime that is almost staggeringly progressive sexually. This fantasy world, so rife with magic, is a world without STDs or accidental pregnancy. Accordingly, there is no stigma against brothels or sex workers. The only negative reaction our heroes get when it comes to their work is discussing their sexual exploits loudly in a private business establishment and making the barmaid uncomfortable.
Over the course of the twelve-episode series, sex changes, bi-sexuality, and interracial relationships are all shown in a positive light–as are any number of fetishes ranging from love dolls and roleplay to exhibition and S&M. Sure, some characters are not into certain fetishes but they are never shamed for their opinion by the others in the group beyond some light ribbing. And, as we see, the general population finds such diverse opinions–both positive and negative–extremely helpful regardless of race or gender.
Image source: ＴＶアニメ「異種族レビュアーズ」公式 on Twitter
While undoubtedly sexual in nature to the extreme, Interspecies Reviewers features easily the best worldbuilding of any anime so far this year. The biology and culture of each race is thought out to a surprising degree–as is how other races would react to said biology and culture in a sexual setting. In watching it, you can’t help but think about your own preferences–which characters you identify with and which you don’t.
And in the end, it has a solid message: keep an open mind and feel free to express your opinions. Just understand that others will probably have different ones and there is nothing wrong with that.
Interspecies Reviewers can be seen on AnimeLab (AU/NZ) and Wakanim (EU).
Top image source: ＴＶアニメ「異種族レビュアーズ」公式 on Twitter
I’m happy someone thinks like me. I started watching for the spice and laughs, but kept doing it for the surprisingly openmindedness of their protagonist points of views. And despite some episodes were more”disturbing” than arousing (I did not enjoy the egg-fest at all XD) the finla episode summarise amazingly the spirit of the series. It has been a fun, refreshing trip.